On November 9th, 1972 as a result of a military coup lead by Idi Amin, a newly wed couple were forced to leave everything they knew in their home country of Uganda and flee to Canada. Nazmudin and Nargis Virani were political refugees entering a land they knew nothing about. Nargis was also soon to give birth to her first child. In June of 1974, Nazmudin and Nargis gave birth to their second child in Vancouver, BC…Riaz.
No one played music in Riaz’s immediate family, but at the age of 5 it was obvious Riaz had a very real passion for music. By age 10, Riaz was moon walking and lip synching in front of anyone, anytime he could. “I think my Mom was probably my first musical influence. She didn’t play an instrument but she would sing along to Hindi songs…she has a beautiful voice.”
The Virani’s moved often in search of better employment opportunities and living conditions. Growing up, Riaz attended 11 elementary schools. In 1988 the longest move the family would make was from Vancouver to Toronto. It was in Toronto, during his teen years that Riaz would form new friendships that would make music a very important part of his life.
“I met a group of guys that really loved music. They were students at this special school for artistically gifted kids. They lived and breathed music, talked about it constantly and more importantly, played exceptionally well. To this day they are all still some of my biggest influences. I listened, I learned, I asked questions, I tried to jam, but often was too intimidated. Hanging with them though, I was like a sponge…I took a lot in and fell in love with music.”
In 1993 Riaz moved to Waterloo, Ontario to study Physics at the University of Waterloo. During his time at Waterloo, Riaz would write and continue to practice guitar. In 1995, Riaz travelled through Western Europe relying on his guitar for food and shelter. “Traveling with my guitar really shaped me. I think it opened up a world for me I am still trying to comprehend. I still love busking on a busy street corner. I find it fascinating how some people react to my music…it can be overwhelming. Music has such a way of bringing people together…of uniting people…I learned that early.”
After graduating, Riaz moved out west in search of employment opportunities and took work in his field. “I put music aside for about 3 years. Evetually, I left my career, moved to a small town about 400 kilometres from Vancouver. A town called Kelowna. I took odd jobs for a couple years then worked in the tourism industry for almost a decade. All the while in Kelowna, the need to start playing and writing music again grew. It became insatiable.”
In 2007, Riaz formed his first original project. A trio entitled Break the Pattern. The trio consisting of Jason Morris, Nick Salisbury and Riaz didn’t last long though it really gave Riaz the opportunity to write and work on new material.
“I’ve tried to keep a band going but it’s very difficult…people are pulled in so many directions. I am in the process of relocating and building Break the Pattern will be a priority, but for now I’m content with doing things myself and bringing in a band if the venue or show calls for it. Some of my favourite shows are just me with my guitar.”
March 2012 will witness the release of Riaz’s first independent 4 song EP. “I’ve written two albums worth of material but am gonna put out these four songs now. I’m playing every instrument on these recordings, I engineered it, mixed it, produced it and am doing what I can to share it with anyone who will listen. I can honestly say this is me, this is why I am here. It’s an okay start but there’s definitely a lot more work I have to do.”
Stay tuned…March 2012 is around the corner!
Band Members
Riaz Virani
